The Dillon tribune., 1887-02-11

numbering" attack a lamented stat, s,,,n
VINO mas lately passed to the realm Of the nm.
seen. distinguished himself sullant,y hcr,
He was then colonel Of tho Thirty first MI
no's anu his name wa; John A. Io-a, II,
was hele and there and everywhere in that
battle, showcrins electric words unon h,.
men, his dark face lit with excitement hi,
eye shining like an eagles. By the ma-uet-
ism OF his personal influence he prevented a
panic and rout ea:iy in the day.
McClcrnantl's division, with Taylor,s
Dressers and McAllister's batteries Of lrht
artillery, met the Confederate onset bravrlv
and well. To the right ct Oglesby still was
t'en. Nc Arthur, nearest the river. lie had
been ordered there the night before with
troops who had had NJ food all day. They
lassse the night in the snow and slect with |
out fires or shelter Gen. Macarthur l,ad had |!
no time to become acquainted with the natur.
of the ground He only knew that he facc,
Fort Donelstn. The Confederate design vvas
to make IL dash und get cavalry in his rear |
and then with cavalry to rear Of him. infantry
before, he would be powerles;
Soldiers do not always find it easy ,o fiph,
OH full stomach, but McArthur's men hnd
tasted thirty.six hours In this state of hun.
ger they were when they heard at o'clock in
the morning the firing OH Oglesby on their
left. AS soon ~ it was heard, without watt
ing for orders, Macarthur formed his e,nptv
stomached Elem in line of battle. They took
. lively hand in the fight. But presently a
worse trouble than empty stomachs con-
fronted them, and that was empty cartridge
boxes. Before that otst4cle they were indeed
powerless, and SO the brigade fell back some
hundreds Of yards to the rear and took up 4
new position. It is sufficient to say OF them
that toward night they got one square meal,
and then moved over to the left Of the Federal
forces to support the troops fighting there
The morning progressed. 1t began to look
! indeed us if Pillow was going to carry ont his
| threat to 'roll the enemy over" McArthur's
| brigade had crumblcd away. So had
| Oglesby's McClernantl's division was in tho
| gr.vcst danger. In the center, lew Wallace,
| with the Third division, was lying inactive.
His ORDERS were to oct ON the defensive and
watch the Confcaerates to prevent their CO.
| Gaping bis way.
! Pillows division in deploying, spread wider
| and wider. and more and more toward Lew
| Wallace. Mc('lcrnand's division beman to
wavcr Three Confederate batteries, Maney's
! Porter's aHd Graves, poured & steady fire into
| 1t. Buckncr was advancing. too. with his
s,,eu, with FORESTS cavalry fitting about tho
| outskirts.
The three Federal batteries had cxhaustes.
their ammunition. Taylor's alone had fired
thot morning 200 rounds. Buckl,cr had or
dered an advance of three regiments before
noon. They hatl l,een met with IL binding
fire from Col. W. Fl. l.. Wailace's brigade
Snow flying III the mir confused them so that
they could not sec their way besides, and
they fell back to their entertainments in dis
order.
But presently Bucklcr gathered his so,ssss
and cano gallantly on again
McClernanl sent word to Lew Wallace tn
aid him. In the absence of positive orders
from headquarters Wallace declined to move.
The place grew hotter and hotter. Col.
John A. Logan was wounded. McClernand
again sent word to Wallace, and this time
Wallace ordered forward Col. Cruft's
brigade, the first i'll his divi isitn. Here an un'
ments Of Federal soldiers fired into each
other, doing serious damage. Cruft's brigade
took the places Of Mc.Arthur's exhausted men
Cruft's men fought gallantly, but at length
fell back some distance AMI took up position
neur the hospital.
When Logan was wounded h. suggested t.
Col. +. L. Il. Ransom, IF the Eleventh llli
nois, tn take Iii; place will, the Eleventh
Ransom, too. hni been wounded. but had hat
his wound dressed. Both were heroes thai
| uay. Logan fes,,lIeHt NiS Iuitc oun VI A''A
,,,,ini.io,, therefore forced To fall back, whe,
its commander went to have his wount
dressed. Tie Thirty first marched back to-
ammunition, leaving the Eleventh alone il
the fray But the Eleventh was attacked no
. only in front. but on t,oth flanks. and finall,
. broke and retreatcd.
a Gen. Wallace still waited. with his divisio,
in line, for orders from, Grant. McClcrnand'
:. second message had been that his TANKS wer
turned and his whole command was c!lda!
o cere.l 1t was then that Col. Cruft's hrigat(
i was sent to his relief. But the Confederat
q b:llows still swept on. Fugtivcs from tn
h fight scattered down the hill behind Wallace
!, division. A mounted officer .alloped by. ii
- had lost his head completely, and shouted
the general: ''Ne are ,.,t to pieces"
:, Then Lew Wallnc. too: the respoilsibilit
g If tho order OF l,atcle upon his own shoulder:
Instantly l." ordered up his third brigade, 60
Thaycr Commanding, anl threw it across n'
tween the broken troops and the ;.dvanci!'
ConfctlcratcS. Other regiments wer" hehl!
as Il reserve He had barely got them in i''
when Tillow and Buc,n.'r. c"l,lbiled, SWv!
down upon then. lib" brigade stooa llke
rock. iicrc wia soi,r' OF thu most sp!e,ntl
lighting OF the war. -,
The First Nebraska Ie4itiirht and No"i
Chicago light artillery received the sE,%l
first and here at l;.s' tho Confederate h1l1n'
were thrown hack. They had struck =, . 81
wall, and could sweep no further. Inc
withdrew" said Gen. Euckuer, ''in some c"
fusion, but without panic, to tho trGncnes, :,
1t was about noon. This was the cill ~ u
sortie, Lew Wallace bad saved the 'aF
ut Donelson.
WHERE WAS GRANT?